Coronavirus: Twenty fined for ignoring protocols during anti-restrictions rally (Updated)

Twenty people who attended an anti-coronavirus restrictions protest on Saturday were fined €300 on Monday by police looking to prosecute the organisers of the rally.

The protest in Eleftherias Square in Nicosia, which is the second held so far, was attended by hundreds of people, who were not wearing masks or social distancing as per the protocol issued after the first one. The protest was organised by people against coronavirus restrictions, face masks and 5G.

On Saturday, police said they had received permission for the personal data protection commissioner to record the protest. They were present at the event and recorded everything with a drone.

Following the protest, the twenty people were fined, and police said they would seek to prosecute the two organisers and a speaker at the event.

One person, who participated in this protest, Harry Violaris said he is being persecuted by police.

“The event was organised to protest the use of masks and enforcing mandatory vaccines,” he told Alpha News on Monday.

Government decisions to use face masks during protest are prejudiced and it is clear the decision was made after the first protest to hinder others, he said.

Violaris said there was a concert by Cypriot pop singer Anna Vissi the same night of the second protest and police failed to go and monitor or fine people for social distancing there.

Police also booked five establishments and 29 individuals for violating coronavirus measures in the past 24 hours.

In total 600 checks were carried out nationwide.

Most were booked for not wearing masks.

Violations were recorded in Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, the Famagusta and Morphou districts but not in Paphos.

Port authorities inspected an additional 89 people but did not book anybody while three people were fined at the airports for not filling in the Cyprus flight pass.

 

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